When something unexpected happens, it can take your brain a bit to catch up with reality. It is common for people to experience panic or confusion after an unexpected and tumultuous experience, like a motor vehicle collision.
Car crashes come with a host of personal and practical consequences, ranging from the possibility of injuries that get worse over time to major financial liability for those to blame for the wreck. As with any kind of unusual, emergency scenario, you’ll handle a car crash better if you have a plan for what actions to take or what mistakes you should not make ahead of time.
What are some of the most common mistakes made immediately after a car crash?
1. Moving the vehicles right after the wreck
It is common sense and a basic safety standard to move the vehicles involved any Collision out of the road if possible. However, before you move those vehicles, you first need to take a moment to record the scene of the crash.
Without documentation of where the vehicles are in relation to one another and the rest of your surroundings, it may be impossible for insurance professionals or police officers to determine whose version of events about the crash is actually the truth. Getting help to move your vehicle safely off of the road is important for safety, but so is the preservation of evidence related to the scene of the collision.
2. Failing to see a doctor
If you don’t have any broken bones and seem to be able to move around just fine, you might diagnose yourself as uninjured after a car crash. However, from stable fractures that can later dislocate and cause intense pain later to internal bleeding, there are many significant injuries that you won’t spot in yourself at the scene of a collision. Seeing a doctor after a crash can help you rule out severe injuries and get timely treatment for potentially deadly internal injuries.
3. Apologizing to others
Maybe multiple people pulled their vehicles over to help you get your car out of the street and to help you with the police report after a crash. You might feel compelled to express your apologies for disrupting their day. The same might be true when you talk to the other driver, the police officer or someone from the insurance company.
Unfortunately, many people will take an apology as an admission of guilt. Even when you believe it is very clear that the other driver is to blame for the crash, your apology could complicate the situation and lead to reduce compensation or a longer process to obtain compensation.
There are many mistakes possible after a car crash, but these three are some of the most common that have lasting consequences for the person who makes them. Knowing what to do and what not to do after a motor vehicle collision will protect you from the worst possible consequences of the crash.